Tuesday, January 12, 2016

This interview with Grigor Hovhannisian is from Aug. 2012, while he was consul general in Los Angeles (2009-13). From 2013 to 2016 Hovhannisian was Armenia's ambassador to Mexico. For more background see an earlier interview from Feb. 2009.

Armenia’s Consul in LA: Status of Armenia in the Western U.S. has been elevated

A former UN relief worker in MidEast, Grigor Hovhannissian says exodus of Armenians from region likely

Armenia's
Consul General in Los Angeles Grigor Hovhannissian was recently
a subject of an anonymous complaint published by Hetq.am from
a group of compatriots now living in the United States. This has prompted The
Armenian Reporter's editor Emil Sanamyan to follow up with Mr. Hovhannissian on
the charges made against him and other topics related to the Consulate's
work.

Taking into account the current crisis in Syria and Mr. Hovhannissian's background in humanitarian work for the United Nations in the Middle East, The Reporter's questions also dealt with that subject. The questions were submitted and returned in writing.

Emil
Sanamyan for The Armenian Reporter:
This issue is not in your current area of responsibility but one in which
you have considerable expertise: the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria
and of Aleppo specifically. What kind of action should Armenia and Diaspora
Armenian organizations undertake to help their compatriots?

Grigor Hovhannissian: I can only answer your question as an ex-practitioner who served in the region for several years. Therefore, this would be my personal opinion, not an official one.

Middle
East is undergoing tectonic changes and this process takes a heavy toll on one
of the largest clusters of the Armenian people and its oldest institutions -
political and cultural. We are all seriously alarmed as the conflict unfolds in
and around one of the last Armenian "strongholds" in the region-
Aleppo. This being said, we should resist the temptation to become alarmists
and not rush into precipitous conclusions particularly because our policy choices
are fairly limited.

We must
continue the world-wide Armenian debate about our Syrian compatriots' future--
something we did not do during and in the aftermath of the war in Iraq. We must
maintain a long term perspective while being watchful and strongly concerned
with the immediate short term security and well-being of our compatriots.

As far as
humanitarian situation is concerned, as we speak, it is serious, but not yet
dire. It would take a longer period, harsher sanctions and a more intense
unrest and insurgency to bring this upper middle income country to a near
collapse, when the economy as a whole and the population's individual coping
mechanisms fail to meet increasing costs of war and destruction.

For now,
we observe accelerated economic decline, massive loss of income, damage to
infrastructure, particularly in the north and a significant population
displacement both internally and internationally. It's unfortunate. We already
hear reports of disruptions to the supply of basic commodities (e.g. long queues
at Aleppo's bakeries), however this is mainly caused by urban warfare and
insecurity.

For the
purpose of crisis preparedness we should build on earlier experiences of the
Arab Spring, however, the Syrian crisis is likely to follow the pattern of its
own. My take is that all else equal, in the immediate short term, the Syrian
army will maintain its grip over much of the country and gain the upper hand in
Aleppo. I expect that Syrian Armenians, who have long developed their own
coping strategies, would remain largely intact.

However,
it is increasingly obvious that already in the mid to long run - say within the
next couple of years, there may be a massive exodus of our compatriots from
Syria, and, unfortunately, from the rest of the Middle East.

For now,
we should focus on advocacy efforts - at all levels and with all stakeholders
as to make sure that the interest and the physical security of our compatriots
is factored in while making post-war plans. I do not believe that Armenia
should induce an accelerated flight of compatriots to Armenia.

In an
ideal world, a permanently stand by airlift capacity should be in place to
reach out to our compatriots in various areas of their possible displacement
(not just Aleppo international airport) under the worst case scenario.

AR: In your estimation do Armenian
diplomats and organizations in Syria have the capacity to properly assess the
humanitarian situation of the community in present circumstances?

GH: I do believe that we have
adequate knowledge of the country and the community and hence all the tools to
make accurate assessment. We have all heard that the Government of Armenia
currently operates a plan that has three scenarios for possible development
and, accordingly, an action plan for each of the plausible scenarios.

As far as
"things turning bad" - in recent years in the region we have seen
total incommunicado situations in Iraq at the height of insurrection and more
recently in Libya. I do not expect similar difficulties in Syria. I also
believe that our country will maintain a minimum diplomatic presence in Syria
and will not evacuate even under more adverse circumstances and help the
community and its organizations throughout the crisis.

AR: Currently the inflow from Syria
to Armenia has been relatively small, estimated at several thousand people, but
this flow could increase. How should Armenia go about seeking international
assistance to make preparations now for the likelihood of additional displaced
persons from Syria?

GH: The international community has
all sorts of contingency plans in place for massive population displacement in
and out of Syria. Specialized agencies would most probably anticipate and in a
way guide the outflows towards Turkey and possibly Jordan. Lebanon, would be
reluctant to receive large refugee groups from Syria, because of the country's
size and willingness to contain the political and demographic implications the
influx would entail (Lebanon already has a very serious refugee situation with
Palestinians in the camps).

So if
large numbers of Armenians made it to Republic of Armenia - it would be over
time, say several months, and it would be gradual. When that happens, of
course, Armenia should expect the international community to assist the country
in accepting, securing, sheltering those who seek refuge.

As I said
above, many experts believe that the exodus of Christians from the Middle East
is imminent. Under this scenario, Armenia should want to retain at least a
portion of the fleeing Armenian population. International humanitarian effort
will not be adequate to bring and retain that population. More elaborate
schemes, through public -private partnership, through financial instruments and
long term affordable mortgages should be devised to build new viable
communities, or even new towns in Armenia, to make the country more attractive
for our compatriots. In turn, they will bring lots of skills and talent, and
certainly contribute to Armenia's rich culture, competitiveness and growth.

AR: We last spoke in 2009, shortly
after you took up your responsibilities in LA. What would you say have been
your main accomplishments in these three years plus? You described the consulate three
years ago as a "service mission" what sort of services would you now
say you successfully undertake?

GH: In absolute terms, the Consulate grew
significantly in its scope and coverage. As a result, the status of Armenia in
the Western United States has been elevated. The level of cooperation and
interaction with our community, authorities, opinion makers and the private
sector has developed along cultural, economic and diplomatic lines.

Three and
a half years into my tenure, I still believe and preach a "service
mission" as the main motto for the Armenian Consulate in Los Angeles.
As a result, we have taken strides in the right direction-- although I realize
that the evaluation of these services should come from the end users.

This being
said, there are things that are quantifiable and I would like to take a minute
to list activities that the Consulate of Armenia started and
implemented for the first time in the last 16 years Armenia has
a consular mission in the US West Coast.

· Consulate became
more accessible physically and "virtually" for consular services.
We moved into the community and improved the physical and technical conditions,
which now parallel those of more advanced countries. We became
"virtually" accessible to our compatriots who live in States outside
California through our website, downloadable applications, hotline, a Facebook
page, advanced telephone system that provide pre-recorded information on
all consular services 24X7. We also help all citizens who
seek qualified legal assistance and cannot afford otherwise;

· Consulate supports
the Armenian community through building strategic alliances with other
communities;

· Consulate introduced
Armenia and the Armenian-American community to prestigious trade, travel, and
book shows;

· Consulate is
promoting business to business contacts between Armenian business, Armenian
importers and their counterparts in other communities;

· Consulate is
reaching out to critically important institutions, e.g. museums, universities,
newspapers, cultural institutions and linking them to/with the Armenian
community; promoting Armenian artists and organizing major exhibits at
the Consulate of Armenia; promoting the community and local Armenian
leaders among international community representatives through hosting
annual consular events;

· Consulate started
open house initiatives - open to the whole community: on Armenian Christmas eve
and on Armenian Independence Day for the community to visit the consulate and
celebrate.

· Consulate brought
enhanced cooperation with the already existing community initiatives, such as
ArmTech, Arpa Film Festival, etc. and established professional awards - for the
Armenian cineastes, Silicon Valley professionals, educators, Armenian National
Basketball Team etc.

· And
of course a crown jewel - House of Armenia! We as a nation and as a country now
have a home in greater Los Angeles that is a source of pride and
inspiration for so many of us.

And all of
the above was and is being achieved at no additional cost to the Armenian taxpayer.

AR: For as long as I remember, LA
Armenians have been complaining about Armenian consuls in LA. What complaints
do you hear most frequently and what do you do about them?

GH: I agree with this observation as
far as the citizens or former Armenian nationals are concerned. There is a
number of explanations for the above.

First and
foremost is that the causes that prompted these people to leave Armenia in the
first place have not been "alleviated." A certain level of
dissatisfaction with our services, e.g. perceived slowness in delivering
bureaucratic formalities, fees associated for the paperwork, is typical to a
low income group who either migrated to the US illegally, or are in process of
asylum applications, i.e. in both cases their access to US social benefits is
severely curtailed. Added, is their inability to travel to Armenia, for the
lack of papers and resources, and, for the fear of military draft, one can
gauge the overall level of their frustration.

Can
the Consulate be more forthcoming and treat these compatriots more
compassionately? Yes and no. In exceptional cases, we can and we do waive fees,
and in urgent cases, we help our people in any way we can. But there are things
we cannot change - like the mandatory military service and registration for
service, without which no males of draft age can travel to Armenia or enter
into any formal transactions.

AR: One complaint I have seen in
recent weeks is that you had "refused" from meeting with some of the
community members - presumably on more than one occasion - why was that?

GH: I have never refused to meet
with community members who want to discuss matters of concern to the community,
our country, specific organizations or groups. Also, we at the Consulate do
not exercise a selective approach as to who to meet and who to not. Those who
claim the contrary to this statement are being disingenuous and cannot produce
any proofs to the contrary.

There is
hardly any organization or association in the community that has not been to
the House of Armenia for an event, consultation, reception, working session,
etc.

AR: What is your attitude towards
community members staging protests outside the consulate with regard
to events in Armenia, such as the recent murder of Vahe Avetyan?

GH: People have their constitutional
right to express their views and voice their protest. As an apolitical
institution, we do not and we cannot have an attitude or judgment as to the
cause or purpose of those protests. To our best ability, we guarantee
that our country and our national symbols are treated with due respect during
these protests.

On our
official Facebook page and communications, we have thanked all community
members who had expressed their solidarity with Armenia in the wake of Vahe's
tragic death, that has caused a massive outrage both in Armenia and diaspora.

AR: How frequently would you say you
appear in public and what sort of audiences are these?

GH: Several times a week, I attend
or host public events. With minor exceptions, when I cannot, I do attend all
major community events across the entire spectrum: political, professional,
educational, compatriotic, religious, etc.

On a
regular basis, I communicate with local media through press conferences, media
briefings, and televised interviews. Since early 2012, close to 30 interviews
were given to local Armenian TV outlets. In addition, our Facebook page, Consulate's
newsletter, which is being mass-mailed and the website provide timely
information on Consulate's activities and Consul's meetings.

AR: Do you think there is a
disconnect between community expectations and consul's mandate? What are these
disconnects?

GH: Over the last years, we have
considerably expanded the mandate to meet the ever changing characteristics,
size and distribution of the Armenian - American community in the Western U.S.

Many
countries with large ethnic diasporas experience similar situations. Some
countries adjusted their mandate to cater to the needs of their migrant workers
(e.g. Mexican Consulates provide free medical services) and to
actually foster labor migration, others regard their nationals as an extension
of domestic political process , some others regard their citizenry exclusively
as a vector to promoting economic interests.

Our own
mandate is tailored to ensure the strong bonds between the homeland and the
community, preservation of national identity, culture and language, to ensure
that the rights of our citizens are respected, while not encouraging additional
immigration, to contribute to the consolidation of various segments of the
diaspora and to promote Armenia's interests through Armenian-American
community.

Of course,
this broad statement of objective creates additional expectations in the
community as to Armenia's more active engagement in the support of
institutions, which contribute to all the above: schools, media, charities,
youth and advocacy groups. And here, unfortunately, we are lagging behind
expectations, although the gap is narrowing.

AR: Several years ago, U.S.authorities charged a number of individuals associated with the Consulate (prior
to your appointment) on charges of fraud and other corrupt activities. What has
come of those charges? Can you ascertain that such practices have stopped?

GH: The infamous "consuls'
affair" caused a major blow to the Consulate and the community
in the wake of my new mission. Because of the large resonance it created, a
considerable effort went into damage control.

To this
date, no convictions were made against the alleged wrongdoers - none of whom
were incumbent diplomats serving at the Consulate of Armenia at the
time of the alleged crime.

And my
answer is "Yes" I can ascertain that the Consulate is free
of non-transparent and illegal practices. All transactions and services offered
at the Consulate are provided in accordance with the spirit and
letter of the Armenian law.

AR: Finally, as a former director of
the Shushi Revival Fund, do you continue to follow events in Shushi, what is
your assessment of them and is that Fund still functioning?

GH: Of course I do. I remain very
passionate about the historic capital of Artsakh and I do follow developments
and reconstruction efforts.

Following
my resignation from the Fund, it operated for another year or so and was
dissolved based on the Trustees' decision to hand over the assets and projects
to the Government of NK and the Armenia Fund. I personally regret that
decision, because Shushi Fund's comparative advantage was in its ability to
attract private investment into what would be an economic development plan, as
opposed to reconstruction through public fundraising.

Nevertheless,
Armenia Fund has made remarkable progress in the city over the last couple of
years, thus dramatically improving Shushi's infrastructure and its residents'
standards of living. On my part, I am happy to have been involved in the Shushi
Revival Fund and for projects we accomplished.